I lean back, letting his words fully resonate before countering, "I'll call Drackus, and I'll see if he can send someone less abhorrent than Dice. As for you staying, the answer is no. You know plenty of people who can vouch for you. Don't play that game. I can't do this anymore. I was in love with you, and you destroyed me. Then I fell for Gage, thinking someone cared about me enough to make it matter, but again I was destroyed. And I thought my mother had bad taste in men."
I stand up to walk away, but he catches my free hand in his while I hold my tea a little tighter.
"You really were in love with me, weren't you? It wasn't a game or a scheme of any kind?"
"Don't do this right now, Kane. I'm hurt enough as it is. With you and Gage, my heart is smashed. With the loss of Thad, I'm aching. Just leave me in peace instead of pieces this time. Please."
He tightens his lips, his hand still holding mine, but he finally releases me.
"You had no idea what I was. I just assumed you did because you never revealed your mark. All witches reveal their marks upon entering any type of friendship or relationship."
I breathe out heavily, realizing his reason for suspicion. He sits down on my sofa, acting as though it's all sinking in. I sit back down beside him and hold my hand out - my palm facing up as I slide the back of my hand onto his leg.
"This is something you can't tell anyone... including Zee, Deke, or any of the others."
He narrows his eyes as he silently questions my intentions.
> "Okay. I can manage that. You don't want me to tell them about your palm? Should I be reading it or something?"
I smile slightly, and then I take a steadying breath. "Don't break physical contact or this will hurt."
He tenses but nods. The lines of my palm shift, change, and meld together to form the mark I've rarely shown. The lights spark and sizzle, red and blue fusing together and growing stronger by the second until he starts to grow dizzy beside me.
His eyes are forced to glow blue to prove his night stalker nature. His fangs peek out of hiding, but I'm not afraid. Instead of viewing him like he's a monster, I find him beautiful. The purity of him being so unguarded as he's forced to reveal himself is almost endearing. He slinks back - my magic being more than he can tolerate in his weakened state. It lets me know he's not completely immune after all.
"Fuck," he murmurs breathlessly as the power subsides, sinking back down to slumber, and I pull my hand away.
"That's why I didn't use it. If you had been human, that would have killed you. It's not something I tell anyone outside of my family very often. As a matter of fact, there are now five people who know - you, Mom, Dad, me, and Gage."
He huffs, leaning his head back, and I watch as the glowing blues fizzle from sight. The darkness in my house hides his brilliant greens, but his tense posture tells me he realizes I was telling the truth. I'm not ready for this conversation. I don't know if I ever will be.
"A witch and a night stalker together but oblivious to the truth about each other. The entire fey nation would laugh at that," he almost groans out, rubbing his face in exasperation.
"Well, we're not together anymore. Now we're a witch and a night stalker with scars." I sigh, admiring his dark beauty in the shadows of the room.
So many things have happened since we met, split up, and somehow became entwined due to a couple of crazy bitches.
"Alyssa, I-"
"Kane, please go. Right now, I need some time alone. I keep trusting all the wrong people, and it's starting to take its toll on me."
He pulls my hand to his lips, and he kisses the palm where my mark was just shining.
"I'm sorry," he says so softly. "For all of it. I thought... I was-"
"Please don't do this," I whimper, pulling away from his clutches. "This night has overwhelmed me enough."
I can't deal with him regretting his cold and callous actions right now. I can't deal with the fact we quite possibly threw everything we had away because we were both too afraid to trust the other based on what we are. That's not love. It never was. We just fooled ourselves into thinking it was.
He sighs out hard, and then he stands up. "I'm not going far. I'll be back tomorrow. Get some rest tonight."
He leans down and kisses the top of my head, making the butterflies in my stomach ruffle. When did my life get so confusing? The only two men I've ever been with are polar opposites yet exactly the same.
As soon as my door shuts, I hear Gage's voice. "You were supposed to explain what the hell happened, not work your own angle, you asshole."
Kane laughs and I move to the window, barely peeking out behind the curtain to watch them. Gage looks distraught and exhausted, like he's the one who just saw me making out with someone random at a party.
"You're on your own. This whole thing just changed, and I'm not about to let you have her."